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A LITERATURE REVIEW OF Walking Programs for the British Columbia Recreation and Parks Association by Lucy Buller, M.Sc. January, 2006 Acknowledgment Appreciation is extended to SEARCH Canada for enabling access to the evidence­based literature. Best Practices in Walking Programs 2006 Table of Contents Executive Summary Page 3 Introduction, Project Description, Methods Page 7 Best Practices – What Does it Mean? and Criteria Page 8 List of Best Practices in Walking Programs Page 9 Why Walk? Page 10 Walking Programs Best Practices from British Columbia Page 11 Walking Programs Best Practices from Canada Page 14 Walking Programs Best Practices from Around the World Page 14 Specialty Walking Programs Page 19 Best Practices to Address Critical Elements Page 20 Conclusion and Recommendations Page 22 Tools Page 24 Research and Report: Lucy Buller, M.Sc., Consultant Ph: 250­247­7135 Email: [email protected] Lucy Buller, M.Sc. 2 Best Practices in Walking Programs 2006 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This literature review was commissioned by The BC Recreation and Parks Association (BCRPA). BCRPA is seeking best practice information on walking programs in order to develop a provincially relevant template or guide for communities as a resource for implementing walking programs. An international research review of best practices in walking programs in communities was conducted to describe and define: Elements of success in walking programs, groups, and/or clubs; Steps for implementation and sustainability; Challenges and lessons learned; Consideration for environmental factors such as demographics and climate; Common indicators for evaluation purposes (data parameters and collection); Case studies as examples of best practices. Notions of “best (or “better”) practice” are essentially concepts that refer to optimal ways of doing something and can refer to individual, community or organizational functions, practices or processes. There is no single definition of best practice, but the literature is clear on three themes common to best practices: 1. Programs, initiatives or activities which are considered exceptional models for others to follow. 2. Examples of activities that are successful and sustainable in social and environmental terms and can be readily adopted by other individuals, communities or organizations. 3. Processes and activities that have been shown in practice to be the most effective. Simply put, a best practice is something which is determined to be the best approach, or as a concept that refers to the best way of doing something. 1 Criteria 8 were used to appraise the literature for quality and inclusion in this literature review. Many programs were reviewed, but twelve were found that met the best practices criteria. They are (in no particular order): British Columbia (BC): 1. Volkssport Association of BC 1 ­ There are thirteen clubs in BC, and national and international affiliations 2. Hearts in Motion 2 – Heart and Stroke Foundation (of BC and Canada) 3. In Motion 3 – in Abbotsford only at this time in BC; also in Saskatchewan and Manitoba 1 Government of the State of Victoria, Australia, 2000. Retrieved from www.health.vic.gov.au/healthpromotion/quality/evidence_index.htm Lucy Buller, M.Sc. 3 Best Practices in Walking Programs 2006 Canada: 4. Walk This Way To Better Health 4 – City of Hamilton, Ontario International: 5. Ramblers’ Association 5 – self­supporting, groups throughout the world 6. Walk 2000 6 – Birmingham Government and City Council, UK 7. Walking the Way to Health 7 – British Heart Foundation and partners 8. WALK Arlington 8 – Arlington, Virginia, US 9. Get Walking Tasmania 9 – Tasmanian Government 10. Christchurch Walking Groups10 – Christchurch City Council, Christchurch, New Zealand 11. Walking Programs in Western Australia 11 – Government of Western Australia (includes a number of walking programs addressing different issues and demographics) 12. Brisbane Walking Groups “Just Walk It” 12 – Heart Foundation and Brisbane City Council, Australia In addition to these best practices, the search revealed a number of specialty areas 19 in walking programs, which can be incorporated into a larger, more comprehensive walking program. Some examples are: walking programs for mothers with new babies, for older adults, mall walking programs, walk to school programs. There were a number of findings that relate directly to the critical elements 20 for best practices in walking programs: Elements of success in walking programs, groups, and/or clubs and steps for implementation and sustainability: • Central coordination and effective leadership are critical for sustainability. • Central coordination with volunteer leader networks is most effective – leaders need to be supported, trained, and networked. • Leader­guided walks are most effective. • A comprehensive, step­by­step program, addressing all elements from design to delivery is most successful, rather than a piecemeal approach. • Using a community grants system is an effective way to support and engage communities. • Newsletters and magazines are popular with participants. Challenges and lessons learned are included in the body of this report. These are others from the literature: • A comprehensive approach to health promotion requires a policy component. • Commitment and organizational involvement of the key community­based organizations and partners are necessary. • Short­term successes contribute to long­term effectiveness. Lucy Buller, M.Sc. 4 Best Practices in Walking Programs 2006 • Multi­component interventions require the contribution of multiple groups in order to make them successful. • The length and intensity of interventions need to be expanded. Consideration for environmental factors such as demographics and climate: • Walking programs for minority populations or sub­groups of the population (eg. mothers with babies, young people, people with disabilities, people with chronic diseases, older people) should be planned using the best evidence and have input from those populations. • Websites and all written materials need to be available in more than one language. • Mall walking programs are more popular in colder climates and in areas with a larger proportion of older people. • Season and climate significantly influence physical activity levels. • Lower income people are less likely than higher income people to meet adequate physical activity recommendations. And sub­urban populations were more likely to meet the recommendations than rural populations. • Individuals who perceive their neighbourhoods as active and safe were twice as likely to report meeting adequate physical activity recommendations compared with those who did not. 2 • Environmental modifications have the potential for creating sustainable change. The barriers preventing children actively commuting to school must be removed. To do so, urban areas need to be designed or redesigned to incorporate safe routes for children to walk or ride bicycles to school. Promotion: • The more that people were exposed to social marketing information for walking programs, the more likely they were to act on it. The messages were effective in changing beliefs about walking. Exposure was positively associated with number of days walking per week. • Using focus groups is an effective way to get feedback about promotional strategies. Incentives, contests, and reward schemes are used extensively and are effective. • “Long­term change is likely to take place only after translating and disseminating programs developed to support the mass communication components.”3 Recommendations: These recommendations have come about from reviewing evaluative materials in the literature from the best practices review, or shared directly to the writer by those involved with the programs: 1. Guided walks by walk leaders and/or volunteers are most effective for implementation and sustainability. The leaders and/or volunteers must be supported, trained, motivated, and networked. 2. Central coordination by BCRPA with volunteer leader networks should be considered. 2 Hooker, SP. Et. al. Perceptions of Environmental Supports for Physical Activity in African American and White Adults in a Rural County in South Carolina. Prev. Chronic Dis. 2(4), 1. 3 Bauman A. (2204). Commentary on the VERB Campaign. Prev Chronic Dis 1(3), 1. Lucy Buller, M.Sc. 5 Best Practices in Walking Programs 2006 3. Build in an evaluation component at the start and set up the infrastructure for data collection that is easy and effective. Evaluation and sustainability remain huge challenges in all the programs. Links to universities (as with the in motion program) may assist with this, but caution that they must keep the grassroots in mind. 4. Partnering with other organizations for the benefit of all and to avoid saturation and duplication is recommended. There are opportunities to expand good programs in BC and/or to link with them for support and collaboration. 5. The literature search revealed that there are many opportunities for sponsorship. A walking program should include a sponsorship component. 6. Suggest that BCRPA adopt an over­arching coordinating role, very similar to best practice examples 11 and 12, and form linkages with others who have walking programs operating in the province. 7. Any comprehensive walking program should include and maintain a variety of specialty walking programs, as noted above, in order to appeal to the widest demographic possible. Lucy Buller, M.Sc. 6 Best Practices in Walking Programs 2006 Walking Programs INTRODUCTION This

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